Collapsible birdhouse



Jan. 19, 1954 N. BURR ET AL 2,666,414

COLLAPSIBLE BIRDHOUSE Filed April 13, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR:

NED BURR FRED DRUECK JR.

BY: hwmm,

AT TORN EYS Jan. 19, 1954 BUR ET 2,666,414

COLLAPSIBLE BIRDH OUSE Filed April 15, 1951 PIE. 5 29 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORI NED %URR R UECK JR. BY. 2 r F ED i3 ATTORNEYS l atentecl Jan. 19, 1954 COLLAPSIBLE BIRDHOUSEI Ned Burr, Homewood, and Fred Drueck, Jr., Chlcago, 111., assignors to Chicago Cardboard Company, a corporation of Illinois Application April 13, 1951, Serial No. 220,854

10 Claims.

This'invention relates to a collapsible birdhouse, or the like, and in particular it relates to a bird house which may be formedfrom a single piece. of paperboard in a conventional cutting and scoring operation.

Heretofore, insofar as applicants are aware, bird houses and similar small covered containers of a generally decorative and house-like appearance (such as might be used for note boxes or letter boxes) have been made of wood or sheet metal and have thus been relatively expensive to produce. T

The device of this invention is a bird hous of pleasing appearance which may be inexpensively produced from'a single piece of paperboard. in a cutting and scoring operation such as has been used for many years in the manufacture of display devices. The device is preferably formed from what is known as outdoor board-that is, paperboard in which the laminae are fastened together with waterproof. adhesive, and in which the decorative paper surface is applied to the paperboard with waterproof adhesive and the entire boardxis coated with a waterproof lacquer so that the finished board has considerable weather resistance.

-,The completed structure, as is plainfromFig.

'7" of the drawings, is of rather conventional and generally pleasing house-like appearance, and is complete ready to be hung from a tree. branch or other Support. The structure maybe shipped collapsed, andthe various panels forming the birdhouse are so proportioned that in its collapsed condition it fits easily into a .standardmailing envelope of about 8" x 10 dimensions. The

construction is such that all exposed surfaces of the; assembled bird house areaiforded by a single faceof the sheet, so that the desired decorative paper facing need be applied only to one surface of the, sheet.. 7

- The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1- is a side elevational view of a collapsible bird house made in accordancewith the invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is, a section taken as indicated along the line 33 of Fig. l; Fig.v 4 is a section taken as indicated along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sectiontaken as indicated along the line 5--5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a plan view of a blank from which the bird house is formed; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view ofthe assembled bird house. Referring tothe drawings in greater detail, and referring particularly to Fig. 6, the device incl'udes a body member, indicated generallyat II], which consists of a floor panel H which has hingedly connected to opposite margins byscorelines I2 a pair of wall panels I3. Flanking each wall panel l3, and hingedly' connected thereto by a score line 14 is a roof panel l5. Hingedly connected to each roof panel I5'by means of a score line it is a hanger tab ll, said hanger tabs being positioned at the longitudinal extremities of the body member. The lateral ends of the roof panels extend beyond the lateral margins of the wall panels to form eaves which are divided by score lines l9 into an eave top portion [8 and an eave tongue [8a. Each eave tongue I80, is provided with a slot 20. The rectangular tongues l8a form the under side of the eaves of the bird house.

At each lateral margin of the fioor'panel H is a side panel 2! which'is of entagonal shape and which is hinged to the floor panel by means of 'a score line 22. Each side panel 2| has along each of the margins which adjoin the wall panels I3 2. continuous tab 23 which is hingedly connected to the'side panel 2| along a score line' 24. Along each margin of the side panels 2| whichwillabut a roof panel IS in the assembled position of the. bird house'is a rigidprojecting tab25..

One of the side-panels 2| is provided with a; suitably sized round hole 26 to provide a means' of ingress and egress for a bird. For a wren house the aperture 26 is customarily the size of a quarter. Preferably, a number of small ven-- tilating apertures 2'! are provided in the fioor face of the blank is covered with alithographed paper whichprovides the decorative outer sur face of the finished device.

A partial assembly operation is performed on bends are made along the score lines It to bring the unfinished surfaces of the hanger tabs I 1 into facing relationship, and the tabs are se-' cured together by means of a large-center gromsmaller grommets 30 which extend through flankstween the panels being along the score lines ll,

andthe roof panels [5 lying in one plane while the floor panel II and wall panels I? li'ei'n another parallel plane.

To place the device in the most compa'ct ipD'S- sible form for shipping, the eaves tongues 18a E lapsed position and an assembled position perpendicular to each of the panels of said body member with a margin abutting a surface of each of such panels, and one of said side panels being provided with an opening; and a rigid projecting tab on a margin of each side panel to engage a slot in said body member to retain the device in assembled position. 7 I

The device of claim 1 inwhich the roof panels are adjacent the longitudinal extremities the body member and the means securing together the longitudinal end portions of the body "member comprise hanger tabs hinged to said roof are turned inwardly against the adjacent marginal portions of the roof panels I5, and one side panel 2| has its hinged tabs 23 folded inwardly to lie along the inner face of the panel 2! and that side panel 2-1; is folded along. its score line 2-2 to lie; between: the plane'of the. roof panels I51 and thez-planeoi the floor panel H and wall panels I3. 'llhe: other side panel 21. is bent. in the opposite directionalong its score line-22so as to. lie against 7 a the outer surface of: the floor'pan'el I I- The hanger 'tabs Il may be bent sideways to lie flat against one; oft-he roof, panels t5 and: the entire device is inits collapsedposition suitable for shipping in. a small: envelope.

To: place the. bird house: inits assembled position; thew-all panels; 13 are brought to aposition projecting: outwardly and upwardly with respect to: the floor. panel [1,. and the root panels 15 are brought to. a position projecting inwardly and up-- wardly from the wall panels. lilrso. thatthe panels formingthebody member 1 fl;presenta.pentagonal crosssection. The. side. panel which. was lying;

between the'fioorpanel H and the roof. panels 15 is swung; 11p and the rigidtabs 25 are. engagedwith. the: slots,v in the cave. tongues I811. The side panel 211' which lies, against the outer'surface of the bottom panel: H in collapsedpositionzis swung. 270' about the score line. 2.27,. and its rigid; tabs engage; with the: slotsv 2l in the adjacent eave' tongues wa The entire device-is:thus held-inzten-; sion by the interlocking of the tabs 25 andslots;

20. The retention. of the. device in its. .-assembled position, is aided" by; the downward thrust- .of the eave. ton ues l8i1;along theirxscore lines: I9 which tends topreventthe rigid tabs .25. from. being. disenga edgfromthe slots 28.; There. is. a tendency ofv the side panels-21 to bulgeoutwardlyabove the score lines 22, and the hinged tabs 23 of saidside.

Panels are turned inwardly-,asbest. seen. inlFig. 4, soaslto lie alongthe' inner facesv of the walltpan'els l;3.- and close any gap which. might. otherwise exist between. the ends of the: wall panels: [3 and. the

adjacent margins of the. side panels lil The foregoingadetailed description is given: for: clearness of understanding. only and: no.-.unneces-- sary limitationsgare to be understood therefrom, it

being known that some" modifications will. be. ob-' of thelateral margins-of said; body member; each, said: side panel beingswingable; between a col :pa-nels'Whichare'permanently secured together in racing rel'ationship.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the lateral ends of the-roof .panels extend beyond the lateral margins of the wall panels to form eaves which are hinged to provide eave tongues which turn under to form the undersides of the eaves, and the tabs on the side panels engage slots. saideai/e tongues.

4 The deviceiofclaim 1 in whichvthe floor panel and two wall; panels of the body member. occupy the same linear length-.as' the-two roof panels, So that the device may be foldedialongztheihingialines between the. wall. panels and roof panels and as sume a collapsed position with: the roofpanels in one plane. and the-floor and wallpanelszin-another 3 0 parallel plane.

The device of claim. 11 in which the side panels. are hinged to the floor paneLth'e rigid projecting tabs. engage the; roof. panels: and havezhinged flaps tov lie. inside the wallpanels and close the gaps between said siderpanelsand saidwall panels.

6 A collapsible. device or the? character described, and formed from a singlepiece o'f card board having: oneIfinished-surfaee, comprising: a body member. having a floor panel, a pair of'wall 1 panels hinged to: opposite sidesof the floor panel, a pair: of roof. panels" hinged to opposite sides of the wall panels, said floor panel and. two wall panels: occupying the samev linear length as: the

two. roof panels whereby the body member maybe collapsedto a rectangular form with the floor wall panels inwonecplane: and the roof'p'anels-in 'a-- parallel. plane. said roof. panels having eaves extending: beyond the lateral margins of the wall panels. and. a. pair cit: hingedhanger 1 tabs forming 501 the. longitudinal extremities oi the body member:

fastening; means securing said hanger tabsw-ith' their unfinished; surfaces together; and a pentagonalside-panel:hinged to each lateral margin of the floor. panel, said. sideipanels having rigid tabs to. engageslots in the eaves toretain=the ole-- vice? in assembled. position with a margin of 'eachsidepanel'abutting each panel of the body mem berg. and one of. saidLside. panels having an aperture;

hinged. to: provide: cave; tongues which told under torio'rrn the under. surfaces-oi" the eaves, and the slotsto: engage: the. tabs. the :sidepanels: are

member, and: a pair of side panels each; of which;

i. The device or claim 6 in whieh: the eaves are is hinged along one of its margins to one of said body panels, said sidepanels having an edge for each body panel and being swingable between collapsed positions in planes parallel to those of the collapsed body panels and assembled positions substantially perpendicular to the assembled body panels with an edge abutting each body panel and portions engaging a part of said body-member, whereby said device may be assembled or collapsed without unfastening said hanger portions.

9. The device of claim 8 in which the center body panel is a floor panel which is flanked on each side by a wall panel and a roof panel, the roof panels have portions extending beyond the lateral margins of the body member to provide eaves, and the side panels engage said eaves.

10. The device of claim 9 in which the total width or the two roof panels is the same as that of the floor panel and two wall panels.

NED BURR.

FRED DRUE'CK, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 502,457 Craw Aug. 1, 1893 619,757 Johnstone et a1. Feb. 21, 1899 1,899,241 Marr Feb. 28, 1933 1,991,165 Luckett Feb. '12, 1935 2,008,443 Froehlig July 16, 1935 2,230,805 Mallgraf Feb. 4, 1941 2,424,733

Benson July 29, 1947 

